NAAC - An Overview, Top NAAC Colleges & Universities, Benefits, Grading System

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established in 1994 as UGC autonomous body. NAAC accreditation for colleges is an integral part of the functioning of higher education institutions in India. NAAC accreditation is mandatory for all the higher learning institutes in India and only NAAC-accredited universities in India are eligible for UGC grants.

Importance of NAAC Accreditation

NAAC accreditation is mandatory for all the higher learning institutes, particularly state universities. Without NAAC accreditation, universities are not eligible for UGC grants, RUSA grants, financial aid etc. On the other hand, NAAC accreditation determines the quality of the institute in terms of education, infrastructure, research, teaching & learning etc. Institutes with top NAAC grades such as 'A++', 'A+' and 'A' are most sought-after institutes, as they offer high-quality education. On the other, all the recognized institutes of UGC must apply for NBA/ NAAC/ any other accreditation after the completion of the first or second batch of courses.

Detailed Benefits of NAAC Accreditation for Institutions

Here are some of the major benefits of NAAC accreditation -

• NAAC accreditation helps the higher learning institutes to know its strengths, opportunities, and weaknesses through an informed review process.
• NAAC identifies the internal areas of planning and allocation of resources.
• NAAC accreditation will help funding agencies with objective data so that they can take a decision on the funding of higher learning institutes.
• NAAC grade/ assessment will help educational institutes to initiate modern or innovative methods of pedagogy.

In all, NAAC is one of the major accreditation agencies in India, which is mandatory for all the higher learning institutes.

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Benefits of NAAC Accreditation for Students

In simple terms, NAAC accreditation or grade of a higher learning institute will help the student to figure out all the details about the institute such as quality of education, research output, teaching-learning, infrastructure etc. NAAC grade helps students to choose the best institute based on its NAAC grade/ performance in the NAAC accreditation process. NAAC grade also determines the value of degree offered by the higher learning institutes.

How do Colleges and Universities get NAAC Accreditation?

NAAC grades and assesses higher learning institutes through a three-step process. All the universities and colleges affiliated to UGC are eligible for NAAC accreditation. However, it is the responsibility of the institutes to apply for NAAC accreditation. All the details pertaining to the NAAC accreditation process, performance indicators/ parameters, the grading system and re-assessment are elaborated below.

NAAC Grading Criteria & System

Before going ahead with the NAAC Grading system, it is important to have a look at the parameters/ indicators of NAAC assessment and accreditation process.

NAAC Parameters/ Indicators

NAAC assess the higher learning institutes based on the following parameters or indicators –

• Teaching-Learning & Evaluation
• Infrastructure & Learning Resources
• Research, Innovations & Extension
• Curricular Aspects
• Governance, Leadership & Management
• Student Support & Progression
• Institutional Values & Best Practices

NAAC Grading System

Higher learning institutes in India are graded for each key aspect/ parameter under four different categories such as ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’. The NAAC grade denotes the performance of institutes such as very good, good, satisfactory, and unsatisfactory. The overall score for all the key aspects under a specific criterion is calculated with weightage applied to it, and the GPA is worked out for the criterion. The CGPA provides the final outcome of the assessment, which is then calculated from the seven GPAs of key parameters mentioned above. More details are elaborated below.

CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average)	Grade	Status	Performance of Institute
3.51 – 4.00	A++	Accredited	Very Good
2.26 – 3.50	A+	Accredited	Very Good
3.01 – 3.25	A	Accredited	Very Good
2.76 – 3.00	B++	Accredited	Good
2.51 – 2.75	B+	Accredited	Good
2.01 – 2.50	B	Accredited	Good
1.51 – 2.00	C	Accredited	Satisfactory
Less than 1.50	D	Not Accredited	Unsatisfactory

Cycles of NAAC Accreditation

Higher learning institutes that undergo NAAC assessment for the first time is referred as Cycle 1, and the consecutive five-year periods as Cycle 2, Cycle 3 etc.

NAAC Re-Assessment

NAAC accredited higher learning institutes seeking an improvement in the accredited status may apply for re-assessment. However, the institutes are allowed to apply for reaccreditation at least one year after (but not more than three years).

Total Number of NAAC Accreditations (as on 26/09/2018)

Type of Higher Learning Institute	First Cycle	Second Cycle	Third Cycle	Fourth Cycle	Number of Accreditations
Universities	329	159	66	0	554
Colleges	7547	3321	739	11	11618
Total	7876	3480	805	11	12172

Grade Wise Number of NAAC Accreditated Institutes in India (as on 26/09/2018)

Type of Higher Learning Institute	NAAC 'A' Grade	NAAC 'B' Grade	NAAC 'C' Grade
Universities	205	118	06
Colleges	1,639	5,097	811
Total	1,844	5,215	817

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Top NAAC Accredited Colleges in India

Here is the list of some of the top NAAC 'A++', 'A+' and 'A' grade colleges in India. For the list of all colleges, check the official website of NAAC.

Name of the College	Location	NAAC Grade
Lady Irwin College	Delhi	A+
Godavari Institute of Engineering & Technology	Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh	A+
Shri Shankaracharya Technical Campus	Chhattisgarh	A
St. Joseph's College	Kerala	A
Institute of Management Studies	Ahmednagar, Maharashtra	A+
Apeejay College of Fine Arts	Jalandhar, Punjab	A+
Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology	Pollachi, Tamil Nadu	A++
Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology	Hyderabad Telangana	A++
Coimbatore Institute of Technology	Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu	A

Top NAAC Accredited Universities in India

Here is the list of some of the top NAAC 'A++', 'A+', 'A' and 'B' grade universities in India. For all universities, check the official website of NAAC.

Name of the University	Location	NAAC Grade
SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRM Deemed University)	Tamil Nadu	A++
Gauhati University	Assam	A
National Law School of India University	Bangalore, Karnataka	A
JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research	Karnataka	A+
Manonmaniam Sundarnar University	Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu	A
Sikkim Manipal University	Sikkim	B
Dravidian University	Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh	B
Assam Don Bosco University	Assam	B+

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